In this episode Peter and Bill chat about their allotments, when a plant is ready for planting out and some tips on how to make sure it gets off to a good start and has enough water.
We then open a discussion about reportable diseases as a local customer has what we think may be Oak Processionary Moth a notifiable disease reportable to the forestry commission who can be notified at TreeAlert , we also mention other historic problems like the recent issues with Olive trees and Xylella a bacterial infection that has wiped out many olive groves across Italy and Europe and why lots of responsible Garden Centres and plant suppliers have stopped importing them. Dutch elm disease wiped out thousands of Elm trees in the 70’s but now we have elms that are not affected by it. The Government has a website where you can find information on issues, signposts to where you can report potential problems and fact sheets with useful information on. With modern phones and the ability to take and send pictures it is much easier and safer to take pictures of the problem and then get the issue identified and confirmed without moving the plant or plant material and possibly transferring the issue to other areas.
Peter spotted an area of hedgerow on the Radclive road covered in a web which makes it look like a Halloween display. This is caused by the Ermine moth.
A lot of plants now have passports which means they are traceable. Plants sold through Mail order need them, imported plants need them, and there are a lot of other reasons why they might have them. With a plant passport you should be able to feel more confident that the plant comes from a reputable supplier who is happy to share its traceability.
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